Partners In Crime: Partnering Your Escape Room Business

As escape rooms become more and more popular, setting your game apart from local competitors is key. In the search for unusual locations and themes, some owners are creating inventive partnerships with attractions and businesses in their area.

Here are some unlikely partners in crime to get those creative juices flowing...

Locomotive location

In Ontario, Canada, Panic Factory Escape Rooms and Room Escape Divas partnered with the York-Durham Heritage Railway to create Terminus – a unique escape room and dinner event on board a moving heritage train. Guests must find out the secret before the train arrives back at the station.

Video games

In 2017, escape room designer SCRAP created a real-world puzzle adventure in collaboration with Nintendo, the makers of iconic video game Legend of Zelda. The game toured the US, allowing parties of six players to save the world from Zelda villain Ganondorf using classic items from the series.

Books and films

Providing rich source material for puzzle rooms, book and film franchises make excellent affiliate businesses. Unofficial escape games based on cult classics like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones are starting to pop up, while TV shows such as Lost and movies from Indiana Jones to Saw have been used for inspiration. Partnering with a studio or author to create an officially licensed game will keep you out of hot water when it comes to intellectual property laws.

How would a partnership affect both businesses’ insurance?

If your partnership would involve the game taking place externally, for example at a local theatre or museum, both parties’ insurance should cover the event.

Depending on the nature of the business, your partner is likely to already have some essential covers such as public liability in place. However, it is important that they tell their insurer about any events they are holding which go beyond their usual activities. For one-off games, they may wish to take out an events insurance policy.

If your escape room is a mobile one, your existing insurance should cover external games. This is not the case if you usually operate from one fixed premises, and you may need to add extra covers to your policy.

To ensure your latest escape room venture is fully insured, talk to the experts at The Insurance Centre.